Winter Olympics 2006 in Turin, Italy
 

http://www.olympic.org/common/images...log2006w_l.gif

Well, the opening ceremony is today and the Olympics games really begin tomorrow.
Anyone have any favourite sports that you are going to follow closely?

Let's discuss.

There's a few events I'm looking forward to: hockey, downhill ski racing, and snowboard halfpipe. I'm rooting for Finland in hockey, but Canada will most certainly provide them a challange. In skiing I'm expecting spectacular wins and failures from Bode Miller, because that's his style. I'm expecting USA to get gold in halfpipe because of Shawn White, but Finland has some good contenders too.

Figure Skating. I'm a big Michelle Kwan fan. I don't think she will medal at Torino as the competition seems very fierce and she's coming back from a major injury. I think that the gold will be decided between Sasha Cohen and Iriana Slustkaya.

http://www.scratchspin.com/2002/coi02/fs-0202112A.jpg

It's amazing how hockey at the Olympics is not generating any sort of excitement among American sports fans. There's absolutely no buzz what so ever.

I've always loved the Winter Olympics. :)

I like to watch skiing, the luge and bobsledding (I'm sure it would be nervewracking to be on the thing but for some reason it looks fun) and figure skating.

The official site if anyone's interested.
I was actually planning to start a thread, but now I don't have to. You're spoiling me, Kolzig. ;)

Anyway, of course I'm most interested in the sports that Finns are good at. The following I will most likely watch quite a lot:
-Men's Ice Hockey (and this is definitely the most important one for me personally, nothing beats great hockey! :) )
-Ski Jumping
-Halfpipe
-Nordic Combined
-Freestyle
-Alpine Skiing (both men and women)
might even watch some Curling if I don't have anything better to do. :D

I will not be watching or tivoing the opening ceremonies, because Fox has thoughtfully scheduled the last four episodes of Arrested Development in the middle of it. Argh.

My favourites are Ice Hockey *of course*, and also I'm a little bit interested in Ski Jumping.

I think Finns and Austrians are going to rule the Ski Jumping competition, but Ice Hockey is going to be the battle of Canada and Russia. Finland has a quite surprisingly bad team at the Olympics due to so many unfortunate injuries.

That 500 volunteers Big Ski Jumper was cool in the opening ceremony just couple of minutes ago!

Tim Goodman in the SF Chronicle:

I don't particularly care for the Olympics, summer or winter. It's like watching bowling or golf on TV. For several weeks in a row.

If it were more like Most Extreme Elimination Challenge (MXC), I might watch. Now there's an awesome obstacle course.

I hear one American athlete has already been sent home after failing a drugs test.

I used to live in Turin.

With the Italian Babe.

Mama Mia thats a spicey meatballs.

Curling!

We have a gold medal to defend.

Hmm..Is Turin the english name for Torino? You learn something new every day. :)

NBC decidedd to show all of the popular events with the exception of hockey, which will be on cable, on a tape-delayed basis during Prime Time in the States.

*sigh*

I need to be careful about my web activities now. And please, for the sake of Americans, if anyone wants to post the results of the games, do use the spoiler tag.

Yes, I'm quite sure Finland won't make it as far as in the last World Cup. Would they have everyone that they were planning from the beginning it would have been an awesome team, but now I'm not so sure.
I think Czech will win the gold though. Hasek is as good as ever and the way Jagr is playing right now I feel sorry for the opponents goalies.

Do you guys know who the starting goalie is for the American team? I take it we have no chance?

Rick someone

GOALTENDERS (3)
29 Rick DiPietro 5-11 (180) 185 (84) 9/19/81 R Winthrop, Mass.
42 Robert Esche 6-1 (185) 210 (95) 1/22/78 L Utica, N.Y.
47 John Grahame 6-2 (188) 210 (95) 8/31/75 L Denver, Colo.

DEFENSEMEN (7)
24 Chris Chelios *^& 6-1 (185) 190 (86) 1/25/62 R Chicago, Ill.
2 Derian Hatcher ^ 6-5 (196) 235 (107) 6/4/72 L Sterling Heights, Mich.
6 Bret Hedican 6-2 (188) 205 (93) 8/10/70 L St. Paul, Minn.
4 Jordan Leopold 6-1 (185) 205 (93) 8/3/80 L Golden Valley, Minn.
27 John-Michael Liles 5-10 (178) 185 (84) 11/25/80 L Zionsville, Ind.
28 Brian Rafalski * 5-9 (175) 190 (86) 9/28/73 R Dearborn, Mich.
23 Mathieu Schneider ^ 5-11 (180) 187 (85) 6/12/69 L New York, N.Y.

FORWARDS (13)
55 Jason Blake 5-10 (178) 180 (82) 9/2/73 L Moorhead, Minn.
26 Erik Cole 6-2 (188) 200 (91) 11/6/78 L Oswego, N.Y.
22 Craig Conroy 6-2 (188) 200 (91) 9/4/71 R Potsdam, N.Y.
18 Chris Drury * 5-10 (178) 180 (82) 8/20/76 R Trumbull, Conn.
14 Brian Gionta 5-7 (170) 175 (79) 1/18/79 R Rochester, N.Y.
11 Scott Gomez 5-11 (180) 200 (91) 12/23/79 L Anchorage, Alaska
13 Bill Guerin *^ 6-2 (188) 210 (95) 11/9/70 R Wilbraham, Mass.
21 Mike Knuble 6-3 (191) 228 (103) 7/4/72 R Toronto, Ont.
9 Mike Modano *^ 6-3 (191) 205 (93) 6/7/70 L Livonia, Mich.
37 Mark Parrish 6-0 (183) 200 (91) 2/2/77 R Minneapolis, Minn.
12 Brian Rolston *# 6-2 (188) 210 (95) 2/21/73 L Flint, Mich.
7 Keith Tkachuk *^% 6-2 (188) 225 (102) 3/28/72 L Melrose, Mass.
39 Doug Weight *^ 5-11 (180) 200 (91) 1/21/71 L Warren, Mich.

Lots of old guys in the Olympics. These are going to be the last Olympics games for so many great hockey players.

Yes :) (I had to look that up.)